Roof Colors and Brands

We had to replace our roof. According to my contractor, the major brands are similar in quality: Certainteed and GAF Timberline seem to be comparable. He said Tamko is heavier. That’s important if you’re starting surface isn’t smooth, like when you’re going over another roof instead of stripping the old one off. (Though I noticed that CertainTeed had a lawsuit against it.)

Colors are tricky. If you’re very precise about color – BEWARE! The samples you see in the store and the brochures can be different from what you’re going to get. If this is very important to you, I’d recommend asking for a sheet of roofing to see what the current batches look like. Also, roofs can fade over time.

The photo below shows the roof we got versus the sample in the book. The sample is much brighter. (The middle one is supposed to be the same color as the shingles. It’s Cetainteed Weathered Wood.)

Our roof has less brown in it than the sample. It has more grays and burgundies.

Another point to consider when you choose a roof color is how variegated it is and whether you want a more consistent look or if you like contrasting shingles.